Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Legal Services for Immigrants
Spotlight: Immigration
Volume 1, Issue 2
June 2015
From Victim to Citizen: VAWA
Inside Issue 2
 Learn how immigrant
victims of domestic violence can gain legal status
independently through a
VAWA Self-Petition.
 **If you are a victim
of domestic violence
and you need help,
call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-7997233. Services available in Spanish and
many other languages. If you are having an emergency, call
911.**
 Tips for safe summer
travel.
 Staff announcements
from Catholic Charities.
Imagine you are an immigrant who comes
to the United States to look for a better
life. You marry someone who promises to
love you forever. But suddenly, your wonderful spouse becomes cruel and violent.
You want to leave, call the police, but you
are afraid. You are just an undocumented
immigrant, and this person has legal status. What if the police don’t believe you?
What if your spouse reports you to immigration? You wait, hoping things will get
better, but the abuse only gets worse.
If you or someone you know is in this position, do not lose hope! There is a way to
escape the abusive relationship AND get
legal status without relying on help from
the abuser. The path to escape is known
as a “Violence Against Women Act selfpetition,” or VAWA for short.
To qualify for VAWA, the undocumented
immigrant must be the victim of domestic
violence from a spouse, parent, or child. If
the immigrant can prove that abuse occurred, and that their family member has
legal status, she or he may be able to apply for a “green card” completely independently. With the security of legal status from VAWA, immigrants can leave
abusive relationships and begin safe, independent lives. And just like anyone
with a green card, after a few years they
can apply to become US citizens.
More important information about VAWA:
Table of Contents:
VAWA
1
Safe Summer Travel
2
By the Way
2
1. Domestic Violence does NOT just
mean physical abuse. If your spouse
pushes or slaps you, that is domestic
violence. If your spouse controls your
bank account, your phone, and your
ability to leave the house, that is domestic violence. If your spouse constantly
insults you, embarrasses you in front of
other people, threatens to call immigra-
tion on you, and tells you that nobody
will help you because you are “illegal”,
that is domestic violence! If you think
you are in this position, contact an immigration attorney immediately.
2. To qualify for VAWA, you are not required to report the abuse to the police.
Police reports and restraining orders can
help you prove to immigration that you
were abused, but you can also submit
photos of injuries, letters from friends,
family, social workers and therapists,
text messages, hospital records, and
more as evidence of the abuse.
3. You can include your undocumented children in a VAWA self-petition.
4. VAWA is available to female and male
victims of domestic abuse.
5. EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY DIVORCED AN ABUSIVE SPOUSE, YOU
MIGHT STILL QUALIFY FOR VAWA.
Even if you have not yet applied for VAWA, do not be afraid to leave your spouse.
Undocumented immigrants have a legal
right to protection from abuse, and immigration officials will not usually deport
someone with a valid VAWA claim. The
most important thing to do is get help. If
you are an immigrant victim of domestic
abuse, please contact Catholic Charities at
(414) 643-8570 ext. 4418.
CATHOLIC CHARITIES O F THE
ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE,
LEGAL SERVICES FOR
IMMIGRANTS
731 W. Washington St.
Milwaukee, WI 53204
Phone: 414-643-8570
Fax: 414-643-6726
www.ccmke.org
www.facebook.com/ccmkeLSI
The information presented in this newsletter
should not be considered legal advice. Please
remember that immigration laws and regulations can change at any time. If you have a
question about immigration law, you should
speak with an immigration attorney. To schedule an intake appointment at Catholic Charities, please call (414) 643 8570 x. 4418.
By the Way...
1. Catholic Charities has just hired a new bilingual therapist for
the Milwaukee Area Office. Nevada Myers Wesley, a Spanishspeaking, licensed professional counselor, is accepting new patients. Call 414-771-2881 to schedule an appointment with her.
Catholic Charities’ Behavioral Health program accepts patients
regardless of ability to pay.
2. We are pleased to announce the arrival of new staff attorney
Gaby Parra at LSI. Gaby just graduated from the University of
Wisconsin Law School, where she worked in the Immigrant Justice
Clinic, as well as with Disability Rights Wisconsin. She is looking
forward to working on a wide variety of cases at Catholic Charities.
3. Current Jesuit Volunteer Vanessa Garza will transition into a
staff position as paralegal and outreach coordinator this summer.
Vanessa is already a familiar face to our clients and looks forward
to taking on more responsibility in her new role. She is replacing
paralegal Elizabeth Pierson, who will start law school this fall
after almost two years at LSI. She will miss her clients and
coworkers, but looks forward to a new adventure.
Tips for safe summer travel
Summer is a popular time to travel,
but depending on your immigration
status, it could be a very bad idea to
travel outside the U.S. Please review the restrictions on your legal
status before planning any travel.
Here is a rough guide to travel for
immigrants:
1. Lawful permanent residents,
or green card holders, are allowed
to travel outside the U.S. Bring
your valid, unexpired passport
and green card with you every
time you travel internationally.
And remember, you can actually
lose your legal status if you remain outside the US for more
than six months in one year.
2. If you have Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, do
not leave the country without a
document granting you "Advance
Parole." You will need to present
this document to reenter the
United States. You can apply to
Immigration for this document if
you need to travel abroad for humanitarian, educational, or employment reasons. You must ap-
ply four to five months before
your travel dates, so plan ahead.
Contact an immigration lawyer
for more information.
3. If you do not have a green card,
but do have DACA, the U Visa,
VAWA, or any other lawful immigration status recognized
by the government, you can
travel legally within the USA.
This includes destinations such as
Hawaii and Puerto Rico, assuming that your travel does not involve stopping in other countries.
To travel by plane you will need a
valid photo ID, which can be your
driver’s license, employment authorization card (work permit), or
passport. Make sure you carry
proof of your immigration status.
4. IMPORTANT: if you
do not have legal status, you should not
leave the US and you
should exercise extreme
caution if you must travel within the US. The
Border Patrol, the offi-
cial border police force, has the
right to investigate and detain
persons they suspect of being undocumented immigrants. Be careful when driving near international borders, because the Border
Patrol can stop vehicles in border
areas, not just on the border itself. There is also evidence of Border Patrol officers boarding Greyhound buses to catch and deport
undocumented immigrants.
Have fun this summer, but be
careful! No trip is worth the loss
of your legal status.
Have you been arrested lately?
If you are a green card holder, or other lawfully present non-citizen, and you have had
any contact with the police since you last
left the U.S., consult an immigration attorney before making international travel plans. Certain criminal convictions can make you ineligible to
reenter the U.S. This is a very complicated area of
immigration law—do not take any risks!